Tassels are known for ornamental use, particularly in connection with graduation hats of the mortar board type. The tassels are normally formed by winding a tassel cord around a mandrel or over a frame a certain number of revolutions and then tying a hanging cord at a center point between the mandrel ends. The hanging cord is generally secured above and below the tassel cords, the usual methods of securing the hanging cord being by knotting, stapling, clamping and/or clipping. The tassel cords are then cut at the mandrel ends so that they hang down from the knots of the hanging cord. The tassel cords are then bound together at an area below the knots and above their cut ends with a tassel binding band.
It is also known to provide an attachment means as part of the binding band to retain an ornamental member. Such an ornamental member would normally display a graduation year.
It is necessary to mass produce these objects and to allow for the ornamental member to be removed so that a new one for the appropriate year may be substituted. This has been done conventionally by providing a prong extending from the binding band which can be bent with a pair of pliers into a closed loop that engages an opening in the ornamental member for holding the ornamental member securely to the tassel. This type of prior art attachment entails difficulty in attachment and removal on a mass production basis because of the large number of wrist and hand motions needed for this very repetitive task and has led to complaints of carpal injuries from workers. The prior art attachment has also been criticized for the ease with which the ornamental member has disengaged from the tassel binding band after the closed loop of the prong has opened slightly from normal wear and tear. The prior art prong has also been known to break off from the tassel binding band due to flexure weakening when force is exerted to re-close the loop.
Various attachment assemblies have been attempted to allow the rapid, and secure, attachment and detachment of the ornamental member but these have suffered either from a complexity that makes them unsuitable or a lack of security that allows the ornamental member to be detached during the swaying of the tassel, something that occurs often since, by tradition, graduation students do not treat these items gently.